Workers striking at Shieldalloy

Published: December 11, 2003 7:00 PM

No negotiations have been scheduled between Metallurg Vanadium officials and United Steelworkers of America Union Local 4836 representatives, which will keep striking workers at the Route 209 plant on the picket line for at least the immediate future.

No new negotiations have been scheduled with the union, said Hoy Frakes, senior vice president and general manager of the Cambridge plant.

The Metallurg Vanadium plant, a division of Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp., is operating with temporary workers and security provided by International Management Assistance Corporation (IMAC).

Workers have manned the picket line since union members voted to strike on Monday.

Prior to the strike vote, Metallurg Vanadium and Local 4836 officials had been in negotiations since the workers contract expired on June 6, 2003.

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When the negotiations reached an impasse, the company implemented its last contract offer and the union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board regarding the implementation of the contract.

The NLRB reportedly rejected the complaint in late November, dismissing it in favor of Metallurg Vanadium. The union scheduled its meeting after receiving the news from the NLRB, prompting the strike vote.

A message left for Jon Sedor, chairman of the union bargaining party, by The Daily Jeffersonian was not returned by press time today.